Korean J Physiol Pharmacol.  2019 Sep;23(5):403-409. 10.4196/kjpp.2019.23.5.403.

Differential effects of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids on vascular reactivity in isolated mesenteric and femoral arteries of rats

• Vorn R
• Yoo HY

• KMID: 2455816
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4196/kjpp.2019.23.5.403

Abstract

Free fatty acid (FFA) intake regulates blood pressure and vascular reactivity but its direct effect on contractility of systemic arteries is not well understood. We investigated the effects of saturated fatty acid (SFA, palmitic acid), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA, linoleic acid), and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA, oleic acid) on the contractility of isolated mesenteric (MA) and deep femoral arteries (DFA) of Sprague-Dawley rats. Isolated MA and DFA were mounted on a dual wire myograph and phenylephrine (PhE, 1-10 µM) concentration-dependent contraction was obtained with or without FFAs. Incubation with 100 µM of palmitic acid significantly increased PhE-induced contraction in both arteries. In MA, treatment with 100 µM of linoleic acid decreased 1 µM PhE-induced contraction while increasing the response to higher PhE concentrations. In DFA, linoleic acid slightly decreased PhE-induced contraction while 200 µM oleic acid significantly decreased it. In MA, oleic acid reduced contraction at low PhE concentration (1 and 2 µM) while increasing it at 10 µM PhE. Perplexingly, depolarization by 40 mM KCl-induced contraction of MA was commonly enhanced by the three fatty acids. The 40 mM KCl-contraction of DFA was also augmented by linoleic and oleic acids while not affected by palmitic acid. SFA persistently increased alpha-adrenergic contraction of systemic arteries whereas PUFA and MUFA attenuated PhE-induced contraction of skeletal arteries. PUFA and MUFA concentration-dependent dual effects on MA suggest differential mechanisms depending on the types of arteries. Further studies are needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms of the various effects of FFA on systemic arteries.

Keyword

Alpha-adrenergic receptors; Fatty acids; Femoral artery; Mesenteric artery; Vasoconstriction

MeSH Terms

Animals
Arteries
Blood Pressure
Fatty Acids
Fatty Acids, Unsaturated*
Femoral Artery*
Linoleic Acid
Mesenteric Arteries
Oleic Acid
Oleic Acids
Palmitic Acid
Phenylephrine
Rats*
Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha
Vasoconstriction
Fatty Acids
Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
Linoleic Acid
Oleic Acid
Oleic Acids
Palmitic Acid
Phenylephrine
Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Effect of saturated fatty acid on phenylephrine (PhE)-induced contractile response in mesenteric arteries (MAs) and deep femoral arteries (DFAs) of rat. Original trace of the dose-dependent response curve of PhE in control isolated MAs and DFAs. Representative trace of PhE-induced contraction in MAs (A, B) and DFAs (D, E) with and without palmitic acid. After 30 min of exposure to physiological salt solution with or without palmitic acid, dose-response curves of different PhE concentrations (0.05 µM, 0.1 µM, 1 µM, 2 µM, 5 µM, and 10 µM) are shown. Summaries of PhE dose-response curve in MAs (C) and DFAs (F) are presented as means ± standard error of the mean. Endo, endothelial cells; ACh, acetylcholine. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.

• 

  Fig. 2 Effect of polyunsaturated fatty acid on phenylephrine (PhE)-induced contractile response in mesenteric arteries (MAs) and deep femoral arteries (DFAs) of rat. Original trace of the dose-dependent response curve of PhE in control isolated MAs and DFAs. Representative trace of PhE-induced contraction in MAs (A, B) and DFAs (D, E) with and without linoleic acid. After 30 min of exposure to physiological salt solution with or without palmitic acid, dose-response curves of different PhE concentrations (0.05 µM, 0.1 µM, 1 µM, 2 µM, 5 µM, and 10 µM) are shown. Summaries of PhE dose-response curve in MAs (C) and DFA (F) are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. Endo, endothelial cells; ACh, acetylcholine. ***p < 0.001.

• 

  Fig. 3 Effect of monounsaturated fatty acid on phenylephrine (PhE)-induced contractile response in mesenteric arteries (MAs) and deep femoral arteries (DFAs) of rat. Original trace of the dose-dependent response curve of PhE in control isolated MAs and DFAs. Representative trace of PhE-induced contraction in MAs (A, B) and DFAs (D, E) with and without oleic acid. After 30 min of exposure to physiological salt solution with or without palmitic acid, dose-response curves of different PhE concentrations (0.05 µM, 0.1 µM, 1 µM, 2 µM, 5 µM, and 10 µM) are shown. Summaries of PhE dose-response curve in MAs (C) and DFA (F) of PhE are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. Endo, endothelial cells; ACh, acetylcholine. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.

• 

  Fig. 4 Effect of fatty acids on the contractile response induced by high K+ in mesenteric arteries (MAs) and deep femoral arteries (DFAs) of rat. The contractile response to 40 mM of KCl in the presence or absence of palmitic acid (PA), linoleic acid (LA), oleic acid (OA) in MAs (A) and DFAs (B). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.

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